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Tuesday, September 20, 2016

Angel Cakes Shawl

A beautiful, lacy shawl with a pattern so easy beginners can follow along! Can you make a chain stitch and a single crochet? If yes, then you've got this. I stopped short of using my whole skein of Caron Cakes to create the version shown, but you could continue the pattern for a wider, longer shawl. You could also end the pattern sooner for a cute little triangle scarflet. Finished size of version shown is 64" (162.5 cm) across by 24" (61 cm) long.

There's a picture tutorial to help you get started, and some progress photos so you know there's no lie: The shaping looks a little weird, taking on a curved, stingray-like shape as you begin working. But with a little tugging the pattern settles into a triangular shape, and the addition of an edging straightens it all out. The border could be skipped if you like the curved shape, or an edging-free shawl could be straightened out with some heavy blocking when finished. Personally, I like the contrast of the colors running up the sides of the stripes and recommend working the border, but with all these options, it's easy to customize your project to your own tastes.

Stitch markers are recommended for beginners. The first and last chain spaces of rows can be difficult to find, and this prevent you from having to count spaces across. Just a few markers are needed to mark the beginning/ends of rows, and the joining space for the edging. If you have no problem keeping track of the spaces, feel free to work without markers.

Numbers in brackets [ ] are only for the purpose of the photo tutorial. If you see a number in brackets, you'll find this step in a picture below the instructions for each row.

*I've been getting a lot of requests for translated versions of my patterns. Anyone can easily use that "translate" button on my sidebar, but abbreviations don't translate! To make the pattern easier to translate into all languages, I'm writing it out first with no abbreviations, along with the tutorial. For those of you who prefer the shorthand version without tutorial photos, you can find it written after the full pattern.

Stitches:(American terms)
Chain (ch)

Single crochet (sc)

*Half-double crochet (hdc) - needed once for joining the edging. I'll give you instructions on how to skip this, for beginners who haven't learned the stitch yet. (In that case, you'll use a slip stitch.) But, hey beginners: I'll also show you how to make that half-double crochet!

Directions:

Row 1:

Chain 2, single crochet in the farthest chain from the hook. Chain 4, single crochet in the same stitch. [1] Chain 1, turn. [2]

(1 chain-4 space)

*Note that the pattern turns itself upside-down after step 1. Keep the beginning tail at the bottom when turning, as shown in step 2.

Row 2:

Single crochet in the first chain-4 space. [1] (Chain 4, single crochet in the same chain-4 space) 2 times. [2 & 3] Chain 1, turn.

(3 chain-4 spaces)

Row 3:

Single crochet in the first chain-4 space, chain 4, single crochet in the same space. [1] (Chain 4, single crochet in the next chain-4 space) 2 times. [2] Chain 4, single crochet in the same space. [3] Chain 1, turn.

(4 chain-4 spaces)

Row 4:

Single crochet in the first chain-4 space, chain 4, single crochet in the same space. [1] (Chain 4, single crochet in the next chain-4 space) 3 times. [2] Chain 4, single crochet in the same space. [3] Chain 1, turn.

(5 chain-4 spaces)

Row 5:

Single crochet in the first chain-4 space, chain 4, single crochet in the same space. (Chain 4, single crochet in the next chain-4 space) 4 times. Chain 4, single crochet in the same space.

(6 chain-4 spaces)

Row 6 and all following rows:

Chain 1, turn. Single crochet in the first chain-4 space, chain 4, single crochet in the same space. (Chain 4, single crochet in the next chain-4 space) to last chain-4 space. Chain 4, single crochet in the same space.

(7, 8, 9... chain-4 spaces / The number of chain-spaces will increase by 1 each row.)

As stated in the description, the sides of the pattern will begin to curve around as you work. This is caused when the last single crochet in the row is worked too far over in the chain space, so it may not be a problem for everyone. Some gentle stretching of the sides will pull the curl out of it as the single crochet settles into place, but a small curve is still noticeable. Working the edging up the sides pulls the curve completely out of the design, so if you like the shape, you may want to skip those final steps.

End on any number row you wish. Version shown ends on row 52.

Do not bind off if working the edging; mark the beginning chain-4 space of your last row.

Edging:

Working up the side, up to the chain-space of the first row: (Chain 3, single crochet in the next chain-4 space) across, chain 3 before corner. Working into bottom corner/chain-4 of row 1: (Single crochet, chain 3, single crochet)*. Working up next side: (Chain 3, single crochet in the next chain-4 space) across, to last available space before marked chain-4. Chain 1, half-double crochet** in beginning single crochet of marked space.

*See tips in the photos below for how to begin weaving in your tail while you work.

**Instead of (chain 1, half-double crochet), you can chain 3 and join with a slip stitch. Joining with the half-double will give you something more substantial to begin weaving your tail into, instead of the lacy chain stitches of the rest of the design.

Bind off, weave in ends.

- - - - - - - -

Abbreviated, photo-free directions:

Row 1:

Ch 2, sc in the farthest ch from the hook. Ch 4, sc in the same stitch. Ch 1, turn.

(1 ch-4 space)

Row 2:

Sc in the first ch-4 space. (Ch 4, sc in the same ch-4 space) 2 times. Ch 1, turn.

(3 ch-4 spaces)

Row 3:

Sc in the first ch-4 space, ch 4, sc in the same space. (Ch 4, sc in the next ch-4 space) 2 times. Ch 4, sc in the same space. Ch 1, turn.

(4 ch-4 spaces)

Row 4:

Sc in the first ch-4 space, ch 4, sc in the same space. (Ch 4, sc in the next ch-4 space) 3 times. Ch 4, sc in the same space. Ch 1, turn.

(5 ch-4 spaces)

Row 5:

Sc in the first ch-4 space, ch 4, sc in the same space. (Ch 4, sc in the next ch-4 space) 4 times. Ch 4, sc in the same space.

(6 ch-4 spaces)

Row 6 and all following rows:

Ch 1, turn. Sc in the first ch-4 space, ch 4, sc in the same space. (Ch 4, sc in the next ch-4 space) to last ch-4 space. Ch 4, sc in the same space.

(7, 8, 9... ch-4 spaces)

End on any number row you wish. Version shown ends on row 52.

Do not bind off if working edging; mark the beginning ch-4 space of your last row.

Edging:

Working up the side, up to the ch-space of the first row: (Ch 3, sc in the next ch-4 space) across, ch 3 before corner. Working into bottom corner/ch-4 of row 1: (Sc, ch 3, sc). Working up next side: (Ch 3, sc in the next ch-4 space) across, to last available space before marked ch-4. Ch 1, hdc* in beginning sc of marked space.

*Instead of (ch 1, hdc), you can ch 3 and join with a slip stitch. Joining with the half-double will give you something more substantial to begin weaving your tail into, instead of the lacy chain stitches of the rest of the design.

Bind off, weave in ends.

- - - - - - - -

There are tons of ways to wear this shawl! To the front, side, or back; pinned, tied, or draped... Or even as a sarong! With so many options, this just might become your next favorite accessory. And with all the color options available, it will be hard not to make one in every "flavor" of Caron Cakes!

10 comments:

Hello Jenny,thank you for sharing the pattern. I'll keep it in mind for when I feel ready to start on that one bobble of variegated yarn I bought at the wool fair. Don't know whether it requires a 5.5 hook, but I guess the pattern will be suitable for a N°4 hook too.And as the pictures show: You do not need a dummy!Happy crocheting,Marjan

Aww... Thank you for that, Marjan, but not shown are the 150 photos of me looking like some sort of alien creature. I managed, but I still want that dummy. :)I think the original trouble I ran into when switching yarns was caused by the differences in yarn material... I went from using 100% acrylic to a blend that didn't match the gauge. As long as you can work up a gauge swatch that's close, it should fine with any similar yarn. (And if not, try adding an extra chain to the chain-spaces; I had to remove one to make the pattern work!)I'd love to see your results! Happy crocheting.

Love the lacy look. However, can this stitch (lacy look) be done in a retangular pattern instead of a triangle pattern. If you could just get me started, I would appreciate it. I've made so many shawls & my preferance is retangular shape. Email me? susan62450@bellsouth.net

Hi Susan! This is a great question, so I'd also like to reply here to help everyone...You'll find a similar pattern worked in rows if you have a look at this scarf: https://crochetistheway.blogspot.com/2017/08/not-so-mesh-scarf.htmlThat's made with a chain-1 mesh, but the pattern would be worked the same way. Just replace the chain-1 with the chain-4 of this pattern, and you're good to go.You can also use the same kind of beginning as for the scarf by replacing the "chain-2, half double crochet" with "chain-4, triple/treble crochet", or you would chain 5 for each multiple (+1 for the beginning stitch).Hope that helps!